UK to support 'viable' jobs as new scheme unveiled

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In case you missed them, here are some of the main developments from around the world today.

• Europe is at a "decisive moment" in the pandemic, with countries on the brink of national lockdowns, the EU's health commissioner warned
• Sweden’s prime minister blamed a “worrying” rise in coronavirus infections on a lack of social-distancing discipline
• Italian football club AC Milan said its striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic had tested positive for coronavirus
• Influencers, rappers and a world-renowned DJ have been heavily criticised in the Netherlands after publicly announcing they were abandoning efforts to combat Covid-19
• Around 2,500 students at a prestigious hospitality school in Switzerland were placed in quarantine after a spike in cases
• In Iran, more than 25,000 people have been confirmed dead with Covid-19, figures showed, as the country sees a spike
• President Donald Trump cast doubt on the approval of stricter guidelines for authorising the use of coronavirus vaccines in the US, calling the move “political”
• Globally, there have now been more than 31.9m cases of the virus and more than 978,000 deaths, data collated by Johns Hopkins University says

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We'll soon be bringing our coronavirus live page to a close for today.

Before then, here's a recap of the main UK stories from today.

• Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a new wage support scheme to replace the existing Job Retention Scheme. It means the government will pay some wages for workers on reduced hours and aims to stop mass job losses
• The UK has recorded 6,634 new coronavirus cases - the highest figure since mass testing began. Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said the figures were "a stark warning for us all"
• People are waiting longer for test results from England's community Covid testing centres, figures show. Only 28% of tests carried out in these venues - drive-throughs, walk-ins and mobile units - came back in 24 hours in the week up to 16 September
• More than one million people have downloaded the government's contact-tracing app for England and Wales within its first day of release. NHS Covid-19 instructs users to self-isolate for 14 days if it detects they were near someone who has the virus

• Shoppers at Morrisons face restrictions on the number of items they can purchase to prevent panic buying. The supermarket chain has put a limit of three items per customer on some ranges, including toilet rolls and disinfectant products

• People arriving in the UK from Denmark, Slovakia, Iceland and the Caribbean island of Curacao will need to self-isolate for 14 days. The rules take effect from 04:00 BST on Saturday

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The chancellor's statement is a radical attempt to provide a shot in the arm to the jobs market - at a very difficult time.

But the new jobs support scheme is a fraction of what we have seen over the past few months, and is concentrated on those deemed to be in "viable" jobs. It cannot prevent a sharp rise in unemployment in the coming months in "non-viable" jobs.

Indeed, the economic impact of this package of several billion pounds is likely to be far outweighed, even by this week's announcement that the UK faces a six-month "new normal" of social restrictions.

The sight of Chancellor Rishi Sunak flanked by the Trade Unions Congress and the Confederation of British Industry bosses at Number 11 was meant to show the country that a non-ideological innovation to protect livelihoods was on the way.

It is an echo of German Chancellor Angela Merkel locking the heads of the equivalent organisations in a hotel for two days in order to come up with the "short-time work" policy, upon which the new jobs support scheme is based.

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More than 40 children have tested positive after an outbreak linked to a wedding in the German town of Hamm, German news agency DPA reports.

Nine schools have been affected by the cluster of cases, a spokesman for the city said on Thursday, adding that only one of the children infected had no connection to the wedding.

Of the almost 200 people in the town to have tested positive, 150 were guests at the wedding, according to the town's official website. A total of 300 people are currently in quarantine and are subject to mandatory testing.

The news comes as a second German minister went into quarantine after he was found to have contact with an infected individual.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, who hosted a meeting of EU trade ministers in Berlin on Monday, said he was self-isolating as a precaution after the employee of a minister who attended had tested positive.

A day earlier, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he was in quarantine after a member of his security staff tested positive.

EPACopyright: EPA

EPACopyright: EPA

The number of new daily coronavirus infections in Russia has reached 6,595, the highest since mid-July.

In the capital, Moscow, cases are at their highest level since late June.

Russia has recorded more than 1.1 million cases and almost 20,000 deaths since the pandemic began, and there are fears the new figures could signal a new wave in the country.

Moscow has already registered the world's first coronavirus vaccine, despite experts saying the trials were too small to prove its safety and effectiveness.

Last month, President Vladimir Putin said the vaccine had passed all the required checks and that one of his own daughters had been given it.

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Senior diplomats from China and the US have lashed out at each other at a meeting of the UN Security Council, deepening a row over the coronavirus pandemic.

China’s ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, used his speech to reject US attempts to blame the country for the pandemic.

“I must say, enough is enough! You have created enough troubles for the world already," he told the meeting via video link on Thursday. “If someone should be held accountable, it should be a few US politicians themselves.”

His comments appeared to be a response to US President Donald Trump, who called for China to be held "accountable" for the pandemic in his address to the UN General Assembly earlier this week.

Tensions between China and the US have flared over the pandemic and a number of other issues, including trade and alleged human rights abuses.

The US ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, voiced anger at the tone of Thursday’s UN Security Council meeting.

"You know, shame on each of you. I am astonished and I am disgusted by the content of today's discussion," Craft said.

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Earlier, we reported that the UK recorded 6,634 new coronavirus cases on Thursday - the highest figure since mass testing began.

The below charts show the trends in cases and deaths - both before and since mass testing became available.

However, hospital admissions data was not available in Thursday's figures, which are released by the government.

You can look at more detail at the numbers in our piece tracking UK cases here.

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BBCCopyright: BBC

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Indonesia has seen a record number of new cases for the second day in a row.

More than 4,600 new infections were announced on Thursday, bringing the total number to 262,000. More than 10,000 people have died in the country since the pandemic began.

Indonesia is the 17th country to pass 10,000 Covid deaths,

While the official figures are the highest in South East Asia, there are fears the true number of cases could be much higher due to the country's low testing rate.

Earlier this week, the official in charge of the country's coronavirus response in the nine worst-hit provinces police and the military could break up illegal rallies in the run-up to December's regional elections.

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More than 25,000 people have died with coronavirus in Iran, official figures show, as the country witnesses a spike in cases.

A ministry spokesman said today that 175 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total fatalities in the country to 25,015.

However, an investigation by BBC Persian earlier this year found the number of coronavirus deaths was nearly three times as high as the official statistics.

The government's own records appeared to show almost 42,000 people had died with Covid-19 symptoms in the run up to 20 July, versus 14,405 reported by its health ministry at the time.

The country is the worst affected in the Middle East, with more than 436,000 coronavirus cases recorded to date.

Earlier this week, an official warned the country is facing a third wave of infections.

The official records may show that the UK has just seen the highest number of new cases reported on a single day.

But it is, of course, nothing of the sort.

At the peak of the pandemic in the spring we had such limited testing capacity that it was largely only hospital patients who were being checked.

It meant we were identifying just the tip of the iceberg.

Estimates have suggested there may have been as many 100,000 cases a day at the peak.

We are clearly not capturing all the infections - even now with the mass testing that is available.

Surveillance data last week suggested we may only be identifying around a half of cases. But that still puts the infection levels well below what they were in the spring.

Hospital admissions and deaths have also started creeping up, but are still very low.

Health experts have been clear we are now on the upwards path so we should expect this trend to continue. Crucial will be how quickly figures rise for all three measures - with the hospital cases and deaths the most important.

Evidence from Spain and France, which started seeing rises a few weeks before us, offer some hope.

Cases have been climbing gradually - at least more gradually than the trajectory government scientists warned could lead the UK to 50,000 cases a day by mid-October.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

The president of Italy has rebuked UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for suggesting that Britons were more "freedom-loving" than his compatriots.

It was in parliament this week that Johnson was asked by a Labour MP whether Italy and Germany had lower Covid-19 infection rates than the UK because of more efficient testing and tracing.

"No" the prime minister replied. "There is an important difference between our country and many others around the world - ours is a freedom-loving country," he added.

Now, Italian President Sergio Mattarella has responded, telling reporters: "We Italians also love freedom – but seriousness is dear to us as well."

Italy, the first country in Europe to be overwhelmed by the coronavirus and impose a national lockdown, appears to have brought the pandemic under control.

Mask-wearing is scrupulous, testing is widespread and restrictions have remained in place for a long time.

But in a country that fought for independence and liberation from Nazi occupation, its president has reminded Johnson that the love of freedom isn't exclusively a British value.

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Plans to resume weekly mass participation Parkrun events in October have been scrapped due to stricter coronavirus rules.

The events, which take place in more than 700 parks across the UK, were suspended in March because of the pandemic.

Organisers had hoped to resume in October, but new rules introduced due to rising case numbers have forced a re-think.

Parkrun chief executive Nick Pearson said they felt it "would be insensitive to push forward with reopening".

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Sweden has seen a “worrying” rise in coronavirus infections in parts of the country where people have not been taking social distancing seriously, its prime minister has said.

Stefan Lofven said the coronavirus situation in Sweden was “stable” compared to other countries, but there were signs of a resurgence.

"That's worrying. It requires that we tighten our behaviour," the prime minister said at a media briefing on Thursday.

“The caution that existed in the spring has more and more been replaced by hugs and parties, bus trips in rush-hour traffic, and an everyday life that, for many, seems to return to normal.”

Sweden has recorded more than 90,000 infections and almost 6,000 deaths to date, higher figures than its Nordic neighbours on both counts.

Unlike most countries, Sweden did not impose a sweeping lockdown at the height of the pandemic’s first wave. Instead, the country’s health officials emphasised personal responsibility, with limited restrictions on life.

We reported earlier that the UK has reported 6,634 new cases, up from 6,178 the day before.

Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: "The signals are clear. Positivity rates are rising across all age groups and we're continuing to see spikes in rates of admission to hospital and critical care.

"We must all follow the new measures that have been bought in to help control the virus and download the new NHS Covid-19 App which is the fastest way of knowing when you're at risk."

She also said: "This is the highest number recorded and a stark warning for us all."

While 6,634 cases is the highest number recorded by mass testing, experts believe the true number of daily cases was far higher earlier in the pandemic.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Europe is at a "decisive moment" in the coronavirus pandemic, with countries on the brink of national lockdowns amid a second wave of infections, the European Union's health commissioner has warned.

"It might be our last chance to prevent a repeat of last spring," Stella Kyriakides said today. "All member states must be ready to roll out measures immediately and at the right time."

Earlier this year, countries across Europe imposed strict nationwide lockdowns to curb the virus, grinding economic activity to an abrupt halt.

Kyriakides's warning echoes that of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which today said it was concerned about the rising number of infections on the continent.

The EU agency said health messages "should emphasise that the pandemic is far from over", adding that the current situation "poses an increasing risk of infection for vulnerable individuals" and health workers.

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We've been reporting today on UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak's new measures to support jobs and the economy, including the Job Support Scheme, which will replace the Job Retention Scheme.

But the government has also repeatedly referred to an existing measure aimed at encouraging employers to keep on staff that had been furloughed.

The Job Retention Bonus is a one-off £1,000 payment to employers for every furloughed employee still in meaningful employment at the end of January.

Eligible employees must earn at least £520 a month on average between 1 November 2020 and 31 January 2021.

However, the Resolution Foundation think tank has said the bonus, in conjunction with the Job Support Scheme, has given firms a "big incentive" to retain staff merely until the end of January.

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AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has tested positive for coronavirus, the club has said.

The 38-year-old former Sweden international has been placed in quarantine at home, with "relevant authorities" informed of his diagnosis.

His positive result came in a second round of testing after defender Leo Duarte tested positive on Wednesday.

Both players will miss Thursday's Europa League third qualifying round match with Bodo/Glimt.

All other players and staff at AC Milan were negative in the latest round of testing.

In a tweet, the former Manchester United player said he had not displayed any symptoms of the virus.